Team Porsche New Zealand delivered a strong showing at Rounds 7 and 8 of the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia at Bangsaen Street Circuit, Thailand, despite a weekend of extreme weather that brought heavy downpours through the pits, drenched race suits and red-flagged sessions as conditions were deemed too dangerous to run.
The team adapted well to the challenging conditions, coming away with a genuinely pleasing result for the round.
Practice
Practice 1 was shortened due to the heavy rain, though Practice 2 was completed in full, giving the team a solid opportunity to build on their setup ahead of qualifying.
Qualifying
Outright pace proved elusive in the tricky conditions, with the team locking in seventh for Race 1 and fifth for Race 2. While not the starting positions the team was chasing, there was clear pace still to be unlocked heading into race day.
Race 1
Race 1 brought the first dry running of the weekend. Marco Giltrap made a strong start to move forward early, staying out of trouble and racing cleanly to finish fourth in the #66 Team Porsche New Zealand Earl Bamber Motorsport 992.2 Cup Car.
Race 2
Marco started Race 2 from third and moved up to second by Turn 1. An early Safety Car condensed the field, and Marco held firm under pressure to defend second position. The race was red-flagged early after a multi-car incident, with Marco crossing the line in second, securing second overall for the round.
“What a crazy weekend in Bangsaen. To come away with a strong haul of points and a podium is a really pleasing result. We managed to stay clear of all the carnage and chaos going on behind us and keep the car clean all weekend. I can’t thank Porsche NZ enough for giving me a car capable of getting these results on a track like this,” said Marco Giltrap.
Header Image: Porsche Carrera Cup Asia
